Another software error has left Texas election officials scrambling to process thousands of voter registration updates as the state prepares for record turnout in the November election.
Texas counties received approximately 15,000 delayed voter registration records Thursday after another software malfunction disrupted the state's election system, leaving local officials with just days to process address changes before early voting begins Monday, October 19.
The latest headache comes as Texas prepares for what could be a busy election season.
Secretary of State Robert Howden announced Friday that Texas has a record 19,041,684 registered voters for the November 3 election. That's a 2.2% increase from November 2024 and a 2% jump from the March primary.
But while registration numbers are climbing, another technology failure has raised questions about the reliability of the state's voter registration system.
Another Software Error Creates Last-Minute Scramble
The latest problem involved address updates submitted through Texas' online voter registration-update service beginning September 1.
According to reporting by Votebeat and The Texas Tribune, counties must now sort through the delayed records to identify changes submitted before the October 5 registration deadline.
That leaves election workers with a tight turnaround ahead of Monday's early voting kickoff.
State officials say the software issue has been corrected.
Secretary of State spokesperson Alicia Pierce told The Texas Newsroom Friday that the affected records had been delivered to counties in time for processing. Missing address information also began appearing in county systems Friday afternoon.
Still, the additional workload has forced some election offices to spend the weekend catching up.
Travis County's Tax Office confirmed Saturday that it received approximately 1,100 additional records and continued processing registrations over the weekend.
The Secretary of State's Office told KXAN that the delayed records involved updates to existing registrations, meaning affected voters could still cast ballots.
Election Officials Demand Accountability
State Elections Director Christina Adkins described the malfunction as “an extra address validation with Texas.gov” in an email obtained by Votebeat.
State officials attributed the problem to Civix, the company operating Texas' TEAM voter registration system.
Chris McGinn, executive director of the Texas Association of County Election Officials, wants lawmakers to address the recurring problems.
“The current unpredictability of the TEAM system is unsustainable for our state's election system,” McGinn said, according to Votebeat.
The frustration follows a much larger Department of Public Safety software failure reported in September.
That earlier malfunction delayed more than 500,000 voter registration records dating back to October 2025.
Before the latest issue surfaced, state officials and the county election officials' association said Wednesday they were unaware of any counties still processing the previous backlog.
Texas has offered grants to help counties cover overtime and temporary staffing costs associated with that earlier failure.
What Texas Voters Need to Know Before Monday
Despite the registration problems, state officials say eligible voters should still be able to participate in the election.
Early voting runs October 19 through October 30, with Election Day scheduled for November 3.
Voters should check their registration status and verify their address through the Texas Secretary of State's voter portal before heading to the polls.
Anyone who discovers incorrect information should contact their county voter registrar.
Voters can cast early ballots at any designated early voting location within their county of registration. Hours vary by location.
Texas voters must bring an accepted photo ID, including a Texas driver's license, U.S. passport or Texas handgun license. Those who cannot reasonably obtain an approved photo ID may qualify to use supporting identification and complete a Reasonable Impediment Declaration.
Pierce also told Votebeat and The Texas Tribune that voters who registered through DPS but are missing from registration rolls can cast provisional ballots while officials verify eligibility.
For voters planning to request a mail ballot, applications must reach the county's early voting clerk by Friday, October 23. Simply mailing an application by that date is not enough.
